The Obediant One
by BlueStar29
Summary: An arguement with Yami leaves Yugi vulnerable for a certain demonic psychopath to claim him as his own.
1. The Spell

_First impressions are everything, right? Well this first chapter may be a little out of whack. I have a plot all made out, but I have trouble with beginnings. So, here's the story that was voted for the most: the one where Marik uses my little baby, Yugi to get under 'Tem's skin. Okay, a little clarification on Yami and Yugi's relationship. There really is no romance, but it's not father/son either. Yami thinks of Yugi as a priceless antieque that needs to be under lock and key. That's the best way I can describe it. He believes that one scratch can perminantly damage him. Yugi wants to do things for himself, that's the whole teenage rebellion thing going on. So, this is what was voted ... let's see if it's what everyone really wanted ..._

---

Yugi had a big smile on his face as he came through the door. It was already two-thirty in the morning. He and his friends had stayed out all night, celebrating victory in Seto Kaiba's Battle City Tournament. The small boy lightly closed the front door, not wanting to wake his grandfather or his guardian up. Yugi did not wear the Millennium Puzzle while he was out with his friends. The spirit, Yami, did not like it when Yugi did not wear the puzzle. The puzzle was the only way he was really connected to Yugi. And now with Yami's ability to fully manifest himself on the mortal plain, he was twice as protective. He wanted Yami to think he was asleep before he really went out, so Yugi went to bed about twenty minutes before he actually left. When he was sure that Yami was asleep, or in deep meditation in his soul room, he left the puzzle in his room and closed his side of their shared mind link. As Yugi took a few steps into his house and crept through the living room, all of a sudden, the lamp switched on, causing Yugi to completely drop his guard. Swiftly turning around, there he was: the spirit of an ancient Pharaoh. He say on a reclining chair with his arms and legs both crossed and a pissed off look on his face. The fully manifested spirit's narrow red eyes held years of knowledge and tiredness. They were hidden behind goldenrod bangs.

"Hello, Yugi." The way he spoke, one could just sense that Yami was very upset at this time. Yugi gulped.

"Uh … hi, Yami …" The ghostly Pharaoh made no move. Yugi started fidgeting. He always did that when he was sure that his guardian was upset with him. "Yami … I" ---

"Sit down!" he commanded. Yugi was taken back for a second. Yami had just commanded him … he never commanded Yugi to do anything.

"D-don't tell me what to do …" Yami's brow lowered over his eyes.

"You left. You know you are not allowed to leave without the puzzle!" Yugi flinched.

"Stop yelling at me …" Yami stood up with his arms still folded.

"Do you know how worried I was?! How scared I became when I came to check on you, and all I found was an empty bed?!" Guilt was starting to sink its way into Yugi's stomach.

"I-I don't need your protection all the time … I'm sixteen!"

"That's right, Yugi; you are _only_ sixteen! You don't know how to take care of yourself! You do need my protection!

"I was with my friends …"

"Not when you were walking home you weren't! You're too immature to be walking around on your own!" Yami yelled, hitting all of Yugi's soft spots. (_No pun intended_) Since the spirit was able to move around on his own, he spent all that time following Yugi around, being way too overprotective.

"I am capable of taking care of myself! I was doing fine before you came, and I'll be fine when you're gone!"

"Like running from bullies and hiding behind allies really proves that you can take care of yourself." Yugi's jaw dropped.

"I lived, didn't I?"

"You wouldn't have … had I not been there." That was the final straw. With surprising might, Yugi ran toward his guardian and shoved him back into the chair. Yami's ectoplasm was boiling. He reached up and slapped Yugi across the face. So stunned, the boy fell back onto the ground as Yami stood up.

"Don't you ever talk back to me like that ever again! I know what's best for you; I'm the one who will protect you!" Tears were flowing down Yugi's face. He felt as if Yami was letting out the real thoughts he had of Yugi, and Yugi felt as if he were being attacked with the world's sharpest spear in the heart, and it was digging deeper.

"I don't want you to protect me! I want you to leave me alone!" In his hysteria, Yugi ran out the door, not even closing it on the way out. Yami chased after him.

"Yugi, come back! **COME BACK HERE**!" He tried to keep after him, but lost his small light in the darkness.

Yugi ran; he didn't know where, but he ran. He ran and ran until his legs started to hurt. When he could not run anymore, he fell to his knees, crying his eyes out. How could Yami say such things? He knew that the spirit became overly protective when he did not know where Yugi was, but he never said anything so cruel until just now. Yugi had no idea where he was, but that was not important right now. Rain started to fall, and the temperature dropped. Now he was wet and cold. Trying to keep warm, he wrapped his arms around himself. He wanted to go back home, but he could not face Yami yet. He still needed to cool down a bit. (_No pun intended here either_)

Suddenly, he heard a sound coming from the bushes. At first he thought it was an animal, but none of the local animals made that much noise. "W-who's there?" He tried to sound brave, but to be honest, he was scared out of his wits. Here he was, alone in a dark place, in the rain with no protector and worst of all, no witnesses if something happened to him. "S-show yourself!" Without a second to waste, two very large, dark figures ran out of the bushes and grabbed the small, defenseless boy. Yugi tried to scream, but a gag was pushed so deep into his mouth that he almost choked. One of the dark figures held him from his torso while the other was tying his hands behind his back.

"Shut the hell up, Kid!" The figure holding him said. But Yugi just kept struggling.

"Damn, this kid won't stay still!" The other added.

"Fine, we'll just have to go to Plan 'B'." Something hard bashed into Yugi's skull, almost cracking it; then suddenly, everything went dark.

---

Darkness … that was all Yugi could see as he regained consciousness. He had the mother of all headaches right now and just wanted to crawl into his bed and sleep for the next ten years. However … he could not move his hands. They were tied behind his back. And there was a blindfold over his eyes. To say that Yugi was scared would be an understatement. He was flat out petrified. He tried to free himself, but the bonds against him were tightly knotted. _Help … _He mentally begged. He tried to contact Yami, but remembered that the puzzle was not with him, so the link would be useless. Finally, he heard a door open.

"Well, well, look what I caught!" Yugi gasped. He knew that demonic voice.

"M-Marik!" Suddenly, the blindfold was taken off of him. And there he was; the psychotic darker half of Malik Ishtar. Compared to Yugi, he was gigantic, and in his hand was the ever unpopular Millennium Rod. Marik ran a hand through Yugi's hair, down his cheek, and cupped his chin. "S-stop it!"

"Are you afraid of me, Little Yugi?" If there's one thing everyone knows about Yugi, even just by looking at him, it was that he was a terrible liar. He tried to turn his gaze away from the tall psychopath, but Marik would not let him.

"N-no …" Marik smirked.

"Your eyes say otherwise." He kept running his fingers through Yugi's hair, making the younger boy very nervous.

"Stop touching me!"

"I don't think you're in the position to give orders." Marik walked a few steps away. Yugi noticed that there were two other people in the room, making sure that Yugi did not make a get away.

"What do you want with me, Marik? We already sent you to the Shadow Realm!" Marik whipped around with lightning fast speed.

"On the contrary, Little Yugi; it was the Pharaoh that sent me there, not you. You don't have the capability, or the will to do such a thing." Yugi was still struggling a bit.

"How do you know?" A spooky smirk ran across Marik's face. It gave Yugi chills.

"I know more about you then you think." That spooked Yugi to no end. He knew that Marik was psychotic, but he did not figure him to be the stalker kind of psychotic.

"L-like what?"

"Like there are more ways of defeating the Pharaoh then just by winning a duel." Yugi did not understand.

"What are you getting at?" Marik's smirk just continued to grow.

"Don't you know that _you _are his greatest weakness?" Yugi gasped.

"That's not true!"

"Oh, but it is! The way he watches your every move, has you on a very short leash, and watches over you all night when you sleep. He thinks of you as fine china that will break without his protection. If you were to even get a scratch, he would lose his mind!" Yugi absentmindedly shook his head.

"No … it's not like that …"

"Face the facts, Little Yugi. You are the one who keeps him sane; and now, you are the one that's going to help me defeat him once and for all."

"Never! I'll never help you!" Marik signaled to the two men at the door to keep Yugi still. He still tried to struggle, but he could not move as much as he could when he was only tied up, not held down. "Stop! Let me go! Let me go!" Marik held up the Millennium Rod and it began to glow. Yugi knew the power it held and shut his eyes tightly.

"You will look into the Eye, Little Yugi!" Yugi continued to struggle against the two men holding him still.

"No … I won't!" Marik placed his hand on the boy's head.

"Yes you **WILL**!" In a second, he forced Yugi's head to turn so that he was looking into the Eye of the Rod. Yugi accidentally opened his eyes just a crack, but that was enough to catch him in a trance. He suddenly stopped struggling. His eyes became dilated and emotionless with a very sleepy gaze upon them. He continued to look into the Eye as he was instructed. After a few seconds of silence, Marik was sure that he had the small boy right where he wanted him. "Alright, let him go."

"But Boss" ---

"I said let him go!" Marik barked. The two did as instructed, relieving Yugi of the ropes that tied him to the chair. The boy made no move … no move at all. All he did was stare. The longer he stared, the deeper he fell. "You are under my control now, Little Yugi. I am your master now. And you will serve me as my slave." Yugi made no sound and no move. "You will do as I command from now on. I own you now." Yugi still did not move.

"… Yes … Master …" He slowly pronounced in a sleepy, monotone voice. Not robotic, but sleepy.

"Very good, my slave; now, come with me and I shall prepare you for what you will do for me."

"As you … command … Master …" Yugi slowly stood up from the chair he sat in and followed Marik in a slow, drowsy walk.

The next morning came all too quickly. Marik had taken the liberty of making sure that Yugi would not break out of his spell no matter what. "Now, you will go about with your life until I feel it necessary for you to return to me. During that time, you will keep the Pharaoh out of your mind, is that clear, Little One?" Yugi stood there, still with that sleepy look in his eyes.

"… Yes, Master …"

"Good. Now get out of my sight! And remember: the Pharaoh is not to know that you work for me now."

"… Yes, Master …" Yugi slowly walked away, Marik still controlling every move he made. When his newest slave was out of sight, the demonic psycho smirked.

"This is going to be so much fun!"

---

Yugi's puppet-like movements led him back to his house. When the hypnotized boy reached his room, Yami suddenly manifested and threw his arms around the small boy, not knowing the little one's current condition.

"Yugi! Thank goodness you're alright! I was so worried about you! Where were you?" Because Yugi could not move on his own, he stood there until he was given another command. Marik's voice echoed in his mind

_Tell him you went out for a walk. _

"… I went out … for a walk …" Yami thought something was wrong, but he could not figure out what it was. He tried to get a look inside his charge's mind, but for some reason, it was locked.

"Yugi, why won't you let me check you over?"

_Tell him you have your reasons_.

"… I have my … reasons …"

"Oh, I get it; you're still upset with me. Well, I guess I'll respect your privacy. I do want you to know that I am sorry for … everything … including the slap … I don't know why I did it." Yugi still made no move. Yami was expecting some kind of reaction, maybe a scoff or something, but the boy did nothing.

_Say you want to sleep now_.

"… I want to sleep now …" Slowly, Yugi made his way to his bed.

"Alright, I'll give you some time to sleep. If you need me, I'll be meditating." The spirit finally disappeared. Marik snickered inside Yugi's mind.

_Very good, my little slave. Now, sleep until I tell you to awaken_.

"… Yes … Master …" The boy slowly lowered his body into his bed and was fast asleep in seconds.

---

_End of Chapter_


	2. Trapped Within

_Sigh Okay, this probably isn't the best chapter and the plot really hasn't picked up just yet, but it will! I promise you! This one's pretty boring if you ask me, but it's needed to put things in place. And so to relieve you of your boredom, I'll probably be updating quickly so that everyone will forget this chapter and move on ..._

_---_

Deep inside the mind of Yugi Moto, the spirit of the small boy huddled in a corner, trying to hide from the intrusion that just happened on his mind. The door to his soul room was locked. No matter how much he tried, he could not open the door, and no matter how loud he cried for help, his guardian could not hear him. Tears were flowing down the small boy's face. He had been running from his intruder for a long time. He had no idea how much time had actually passed, but he guessed it had not been as much as he felt. He was shivering, being clothed in only a long white shirt. He had no idea why he was wearing that shirt, but he figured it had to have something to do with Marik. Suddenly, there was a loud crash. From his hiding place, Yugi slowly peeked to see Marik standing in front of the door to his soul room. He seemed to be looking for the small boy. Yugi silently gasped and quickly turned back to his hiding place.

"Oh, Little Yugi," Yugi was shivering beyond belief. Marik held out the rod and a blast of lightning shot out, destroying everything that it was aimed it, "Come out, come out where ever you are!" The giant, psychotic Rod Holder called in a singing voice. Yugi was terrified. This was the first time in so long that he did not have the Pharaoh to protect him. The boy continued to shiver with his arms covering his head. He now began to whimper silently so that Marik could not find him. Not too long after, he began to hear large feet moving around. "I command you to come out, my slave." Yugi could not stay in one place; he had to move. He got down on his hands and knees and skittered to a new hiding place. As he moved, a toy on the ground made a sound, attracting Marik's attention. In doing so, the tall sandy-blonde forced another lightning bolt out of the rod. He stomped over to the spot where the toy squeaked, but did not find the boy. "You will obey me, Little One. I am your master now. As such, I demand complete obedience from you." Yugi's breathing was labored as he began to cry, but also tried to keep it in. Yugi hugged his legs and began to rock back and forth.

"No … he's not my master … I have no master … I need"--- He looked up only to see the most terrifying sight: Marik with an eerie smirk on his face, looking down on him.

"Hello, Little Yugi." The psychotic Egyptian destroyed the dresser that Yugi was hiding behind with one swing of his arm. Yugi screamed as Marik pulled him by his hair and dragged him to the small bed in the corner.

"No, no please!" Yugi screamed, trying to struggle. Marik slapped the boy across his face and kicked him in the stomach three times. He grabbed Yugi by his face, forcing the boy to look him in his psychotic lavender eyes.

"Silence, you tiny speck! How dare you disobey me! **_I AM YOUR MASTER NOW_**!"

"No …" Marik hit Yugi in the back of his head with the sharp edge of the Rod.

"You will soon come to know me as your master, Little Yugi. Your soul is trapped in your own mind." Even though Yugi was scared, he still tried to fight back.

"I have no master … the Pharaoh will stop you!" Marik snickered evilly.

"He can try, but he will not be successful. You are under a spell." Yugi was still hyperventilating.

"W-we've broken y-your s-sp-spells before …"

"You mean what happened with your idiot lackey, Joey?" Yugi's pride seemed to come back into play.

"He is not a lackey! He's my best friend!"

"Well here's a newsflash for you; I never put an actual '_spell_' on your friend. You were able to get through to him because I was careless!" Yugi flinched as Marik raised his voice. He used his free hand to run his fingers through Yugi's hair, which caused the boy to freeze up. "But with you … I took extra precaution. The spell I placed on you will force you to lose every memory you have of your life." Yugi's eyes widened.

"No … no, I-I don't wanna forget!" Marik threw Yugi across the room, causing the boy to hit the wall and scream in agony. He walked over and took Yugi by the neck and lifted him up in the air.

"You have no choice. Your soul will stay here in your own mind, cut off from the outside world, slowly forgetting every memory in here, while I control your body. All you will know are my commands. And as for the Pharaoh, only when I am ready will he and your … passé know of your … condition." Yugi could not believe it. Marik really thought this one out.

"How could you?" All Marik did was snicker.

"I'll leave you to think about things for a while … as long as you can." With that, he left Yugi there as he began to sob himself into a hold yet again.

---

On the outside world, while Marik was nowhere near his newest slave, he was able to enter Yugi's mind by astral projecting with help from the Millennium Rod. With Yugi's mind under his spell, Marik could contact Yugi from anywhere in the world. Right now, he sat in his hide out, admiring his work.

In the Moto household, Solomon was downstairs, cooking breakfast for his grandson and himself.

"Yugi, breakfast is ready!" Upstairs, the boy in the bed continued to sleep soundly. On the end table, the Millennium Puzzle began to glow before the entity of Yami, the spirit of the Puzzle manifested.

"Yugi come on, get up; it's time for breakfast." Yugi made no move. Yami thought this strange, since Yugi was a very light sleeper, and the lightest of touches would normally wake him up. "Yugi … Yugi, are you alright?" No response came. Then suddenly, the boy shot up right in his bed, but he still had a sleepy look in his eyes. "Yugi, you startled me." The sleepy-eyed boy made no sound. The dead Pharaoh was really beginning to worry for his charge. "Yugi, please answer me."

" … I must eat breakfast …" Slowly, and a bit drowsily, he stood up and, very slowly, walked downstairs. Yami raised a brow. Yugi was sure acting strange ever since he came home last night.

"Hmm … perhaps he was more tired then I anticipated." Yami shrugged and retreated back into the puzzle for now. He thought that Yugi just needed some time alone for right now. He would wait for him to come and get the puzzle before going off to school.

Downstairs, Yugi did not even eat breakfast. In fact, all he did was walk straight out the door, not even saying a '_good morning_' to his grandfather.

_Come to me, my slave._

"Yes … I will come to you … Master …" Yugi muttered quietly. The hypnotized boy walked drowsily where his master commanded him. He was nothing but a puppet. Marik pulled his strings twenty-four/seven now. Yugi could make no thought, move no muscle unless his master had given him a command to do so. He always had to obey his master. Disobedience would never be tolerated. That was all he knew. Soon, he came to an old warehouse that was guarded by two Rare Hunters. (_Work with me on this one_) The two guards spotted Yugi coming towards them.

"Hey kid, what do you think you're doing?" One of them asked. It took a while for Yugi to answer.

"… I must find my master …" The two hunters looked at each other.

"Should we let him in?" The second hunter punched the first one in the stomach.

"You idiot! Can't you see that this kid is the Pharaoh's puny runt?"

"And can't you two idiots see that this boy is under my control?" A dark voice interrupted. The two hunters bowed to Marik as he came out.

"S-sorry, Sir!" Marik ignored them and put his attention on Yugi.

"Welcome to your new life, Young One. Show respect: bow to me."

" … As you … command … Master …" Yugi literally fell to his knees and lowered his chest to the ground to bow to his new master. Marik could not help but smirk at the work he had done.

"Very good; now come, Slave. You can entertain me until I send you back in the morning." (_Don't worry, it's not what you think. I would not do that to my baby while he's still hypnotized._)

"… Yes … Master …" Once again, Yugi slowly followed his master into the warehouse.

---

_End of Chapter_


	3. Revealations

_Okay, sorry that this one took so long; actually, the first four pages of this has been written for almost half a year, but I forgot about it. Luckily I emailed it to myself and found it. Okay, so here's the next chapter. That's one down and a few more to go._

--

For the next week or so, Yami had noticed an unusual change in Yugi's behavior; for instance, the boy only spoke when he was spoken to; and when he did, he only spoke a few words

For the next week or so, Yami had noticed an unusual change in Yugi's behavior; for instance, the boy only spoke when he was spoken to; and when he did, he only spoke a few words. Also, he always appeared as if he was tired. Yami knew that Yugi was getting enough sleep, he just could not figure out why the small boy always looked so sleepy. But the most unusual of all was the fact that Yugi constantly had his mind closed off towards the ghostly Pharaoh. Every so often when Yami gathered enough energy to create a physical form, he would try and ask Yugi why he would not open his mind to him, but the answer was always the same:

'… _I have my reasons …_'

This was really starting to get on Yami's nerves. He needed to speak to Yugi, and he needed to speak to him now. Currently, the younger was upstairs, asleep; he had been sleeping a lot as of late. "Yugi, wake up." There was no answer, which really seemed to piss the ancient spirit off even more. "Yugi, come on, you've been sleeping far too much lately." There was still no answer. Yami groaned and gathered up energy so that he could physically shake his small host. He did so, but still, the boy did not awaken. '_This is beginning to get very strange; Yugi has never been this heavy of a sleeper; usually, a small noise is enough to wake him._' The dark spirit thought to himself. Taking the Puzzle and putting it around his own neck, he went to call the others to see if they could help him figure out what was going on with his small charge. He just hoped that it was not something medical, something he had no control over and could do nothing to help with. Little did the unsuspecting Pharaoh know that the problem did lay inside, but not at all what he thought.

Inside his own mind, Yugi's soul scrunched up in a corner, hugging himself. He sobbed lightly, having no idea why. Slowly, his memories were leaving him. He could no longer remember why he was here, or even where here was. He could not remember who his parents were or if he even _had_ any parents. Even small memories had left him; meaningless things such as his favorite color, or the name of his pet, or what his hobbies were, had left his mind completely. So all he could do was sit in that tight, dark little corner and cry to himself. "Why … why is this happening to me …?"

"Because you need to learn to obey your master." A deep, monstrous voice answered. Yugi gasped. There was one thing he was never allowed to forget, and that was to whom that voice belonged.

"Oh no … he's back …" Just then, in front of Yugi's eyes, a bunch of shadows fused together to form the tall, dark, and hideous figure of Marik; the man that always claimed to be Yugi's master. Yugi whimpered and moved further into his corner, but could only go so far.

"Have you learned your lesson yet, Slave?" Yugi always resisted, but as time went on, his resistance continued to fade, just like his memories and this time was no exception. The poor, broken boy looked down at his bare feet and let a tear drop next to them.

"… I … I'm not … y-you're s-slave …" Each time, he said that, and each time he was dealt with the same punishment: a harsh beating. Marik grabbed the small boy by the front blonde locks of his hair, practically pulling them out and punched him in the cheek, then kicking him in the side and finally stepping on his spine. Had this been Yugi's actual body instead of his soul, he would have a few broken vertebrae now, but since it was not, all it did was hurt like hell. As Yugi lay on the floor of his, now dark, soul room, Marik circled him like a vulture circling its dead prey.

"Poor, sweet little one; you know, if you would only obey, you would not have to suffer so much." Marik never called Yugi by his name anymore. He the earlier the boy forgot his name, the better chance he had that said boy would never break away from the spell. Yugi did not respond. His breathing was labored as he continued to lie on the cold floor.

"Please … just let me go …" Marik chuckled that evil chuckled that Yugi had grown to loath.

"Sorry, Sweet One, but you are vital to my plan, and there is no way that I am going to give you up so easily." Marik sat down on the floor and took Yugi into his lap. Yugi could hardly move so he could not resist at all. He groaned in pain as he was placed in the lap of his captor. Marik began to pet Yugi's hair as if he were a cat; that treatment sent shivers down the boy's spine, and not in a good way. Marik's evil smirk widened when he lowered his hand under the long, white shirt that was used as Yugi's only protection. Yugi gasped and his eyes widened in horror when he felt that hand on his bare skin.

"No, stop!"

"Hush; I've waited long enough. You're going to learn to obey even if I have to reduce to drastic measures. Marik's hand kneaded Yugi's private area. One would think that in the mind, this would not affect the soul.

"… H-How?" Yugi's question was interrupted by his constant squirming, trying to get away from that dreadful hand.

"I control your mind, Little Slave; since this room is a part of your mind, I control everything that goes on inside of it, including what you feel." Marik's hand went lower, causing Yugi to squirm even more. The blond psychotic loved to see this small treasure squirm in his arms. This was his piece of art in-the-making. Soon, Yugi would have no memory, he would be obedient, and he would be the Pharaoh's downfall. Finding a very soft inner spot, Marik grinned and pinched it, using his control over Yugi's mind to multiply Yugi's feeling of pain. The broken boy screamed his mental lungs out.

"_**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!**_"

Yami gasped.

"Is something wrong, Pharaoh?" Tea asked. The ancient ruler looked around, as if searching for something.

"Uh … yes … I just thought I heard something …"

"Like what?" Joey asked. Yami did not answer; all he did was stand up and begin walking towards Yugi's room, where the boy continued to sleep. Joey, Tristan and Tea soon followed. Upon arrival, the four friends could see that Yugi still had yet to wake from his unnatural sleep, but his eyes were squinting, as if in pain. Immediately, Yami was by his side as if he were covered in blood.

"Yugi? Yugi, wake up!" He shook his lighter half, quite harshly, and still, no movement was made. "See what I mean? He won't wake up! This is very unusual for him!" Tea gasped.

"What do you think is wrong with him?!" Joey pushed past her and harshly grabbed Yugi by the shoulders.

"Nothin'; you're just not doin' it hard enough." Even in his half-sitting-half-laying position, Yugi still did not awaken. Then suddenly, Joey forcefully began to shake the smallest boy back and forth. "WAKE UP, MAN!!" Even that plan did not work. However, Joey did not seem to want to stop and this began to worry everyone else.

"Knock it off, Joey, or you're gonna give him brain damage!" Tristan said as everyone else tried to stop the blonde. Finally, he let the smaller go, who had dropped back onto the bed like dead weight. Yami was about to strangle Joey for even placing his hands on Yugi like that, but then something happened. Suddenly, his amethyst eyes opened, but they still seemed to hold that tiredness to them.

"Yugi … you're awake!" Tea announced. The small boy did not answer. There was silence amongst the group. It was a bit creepy if one thought about it long enough. Joey noticed it and decided to break it.

"Uh … Yug' … you okay?" There was still no answer. Tristan stepped in front of him and waved his hand in front of Yugi's face, which gave no response.

"Wow, this is really starting to get creepy." Then, there was a movement. Yugi moved his feet from the bed to the floor and stood up, surprising everyone. After a paused second, he began to slowly walk out of the room. He walked as if he were sleep-walking. Yami walked in front of the smaller to stop him.

"Yugi … what's wrong?" He tapped Yugi's cheek, but there was no response. He tried again. "Yugi?"

" … I must … find … my master …" Yami gasped, as did the other three friends.

"What's he talkin' about?!" Joey asked. Yami cringed. Pure anger and hatred showed on his face.

"I think I know …"

--

A few miles away, in the abandoned warehouse, Marik smirked that evil smirk that always had people running off in the opposite direction of him. "I believe it's time the Pharaoh finally knew." He said to no one in particular. The Millennium Rod glowed with a yellow light as he summoned his new puppet.

--

Suddenly, Yugi's eyes began to glow a bright yellow. Then his head bowed, making it so that his eyes could not be seen. The three friends were awestruck as to what was going on at this point. Then, Yugi's head rose, but his bangs still covered his eyes. Yami took a step forward, carefully.

"Y-Yugi …?" Yugi's head slowly tilted up, his eyes dilated, still glowing yellow. The friends also noticed that the infamous Eye of Horus (_or whatever it's called …_) was glowing brightly on his forehead.

"Hey, it's that Millennium eye thingy …" Joey announced. Tea hit Yami in the elbow.

"Stop doing this to him!"

"I'm not." The Pharaoh said. In Yugi's mind, Marik's dark voice spoke to him.

'_Repeat these words, my slave. Hello, Pharaoh_.' Yugi obeyed.

" … Hello, Pharaoh …" However, he repeated them slowly and sleepily. The others could tell that Yugi was being controlled by Marik. It all made sense now. Why Yugi was sleeping so much and why he always seemed so sleepy no matter how much he slept.

"Marik!" There was a dark chuckle in Yugi's mind, but Yugi did not repeat that.

'_Correct._'

"… Correct …" Yami's ectoplasmic blood was boiling. (_I realize that's not a real word, but remember: he only has a solid form because of all the energy he has from the puzzle._)

"What have you done to Yugi?!"

'_Just gave him a re-education._'

"… Just gave him … a re-education …" Joey growled and held up a fist.

"Why you no good Son of a Bitch! I oughtta castrate you right here and now for doin' this!" Marik chuckled again, but they did not hear.

'_You blonde idiot; you do that, and you hurt your little friend here. Remember, I have so much control over his mind right now, I can command him to kill himself if I want to, and he would have to do it._' Marik continued his gloating as his hypnotized servant repeated his statement. And of course, Yami's denial was not helping at all.

"No, t-that's not true! Yugi, wake up!" Marik laughed like a maniac again.

"_It's no use, Pharaoh_." Yugi repeated.

"… It's … no use … Pharaoh …"

"_His mind belongs to me now_."

"… His mind … belongs … to me now …" Yami gritted his teeth as his fists tightened in anger.

"What do you want?"

"Simple." Yugi repeated. "I want my slave back."

"You'll never get your hands on him!" Joey said.

"_That's what you think, Idiot_." Yugi repeated. Both Tristan and Joey had to hold Yami back from tackling Marik, whom was speaking through Yugi. "_If you refuse, I can make Little Yugi kill himself right here and now_." At hearing Yugi repeat those words, all four friends gasped.

"Y-you wouldn't …" Tea said. She tried to make her voice seem brave, but a slight tremble over Yugi's fate was caught in it. Suddenly, Yugi started to choke. His face turned red as his left hand went around his throat and he fell to his knees. Marik had commanded him to hold his breath. The redness in his face began to turn purple. Yami could not stand it anymore. He realized that Marik was willing to kill Yugi in order to get what he wanted. Tears appeared in Yami's eyes. How could he let Yugi down like this?

"Alright, we'll bring him to you!" Finally, Yugi took in a breath and circulation was returning to his face. The friends helplessly watched as oxygen began to run through Yugi's body again. In Marik's hiding place, he smirked. Yugi finally regained his position. He used to Rod to communicate through Yugi as if he were a real puppet.

"_You can see that Little Yugi is very obedient to me. Now, I want him back by sunup or I will shut his mind down completely_." Once again, Yugi repeated. Reluctantly, Yami agreed. If it was the only way to free Yugi, than he would have to do it.

"Alright, Marik; tell us where you are and we'll … bring him to you …" Marik smirked and told them the directions to the warehouse.

"_I'll be waiting, Pharaoh_."

"… I …will be waiting … Pharaoh …"

"_I expect to have my slave by tomorrow morning_."

"I … expect … to have … my slave … tomorrow morning …"

"_Until then_,"

"… Until then …"

"_He shall sleep_."

"… He … shall sleep …" As these words were repeated, Yugi instantly fell to the ground in a deep sleep. Yami ran and caught him before he hit the ground. Yami almost cried. The only thing he could do for Yugi now was to try and save his life by surrendering him.

"So, does anyone know how to get to this warehouse?" Joey asked. Yami shook his head, cradling Yugi in his lap.

"No, but we better find out fast; we only have until dawn."

"How are we going to find it in only five hours?" Tristan asked. Tea shrugged her shoulders a bit.

"W-well, there's one person we haven't thought of …" The boys looked at her.

"Who?" They said in unison.

"There's always … Kaiba."

"Kaiba?!"

"Well yeah; he does, after all, have unlimitedresources." The boys looked at her as if she had grown a second head. Tristan was the one to break the silence.

"Tea, why on earth would Kaiba be willing to help us?" Tea smirked.

"Simple; since Mokuba is our friend, we get him to sympathize with us and he'll play Kaiba right into our hands." Joey blinked.

"You manipulative bitch … I like it!" So it was settled. They would head to the Kaiba mansion and ask Mokuba to get them access to his brother's database.

--

Once there, they, of course, had to explain why there was a darker version of Yugi holding the unconscious real Yugi in his arms. The teenagers had to explain the situation a few times, repeating some parts, before Mokuba finally understood. The younger Kaiba Brother said that he began to suspect, that Yugi was not the plain high schooler he claimed to be, some time ago.

"So we really need your help in finding Marik. He still has that dual disc attached to his arm, so we figure you can track him." Tea explained. There was a long pause before the silence was broken.

"No." The friends all stared at him with hanging jaws.

"Why not, ya prick!?" Joey yelled. Kaiba glared at him.

"Because what you've just told us is physically impossible."

"Then how do you explain _**this**_!?" Joey yelled, pointing to Yami who was holding the sleeping body of Yugi. Kaiba raised a brow. He had to admit, that one was a toughie. As usual, he only thought it was some sort of magic trick, which in a strange way, he was kind of right.

"You're gonna have to do better than that." Tristan had to hold Joey back from pounding Kaiba into the floor. Since begging and pleading were not working, Tea decided to give sympathy and guilt a try.

"Kaiba, please. How can you be so heartless that you would even not even consider helping us? Especially after he has done so much to help you!" To add to her act, Tea forced herself to form tears in her eyes. Kaiba sighed. Not out of sympathy as Tea was expecting, but out of annoyance. Sometimes, that girl really got on his nerves.

"Oh, cut the water-works, Garner. You should know that I'm immune to that by now." Tea looked insulted. Kaiba snickered.

"If there's something wrong with the kid, it's your problem, not mine. Now, get out before I have security escort you out by force." Kaiba's brother, Mokuba looked at his older brother with disappointment in his eyes.

"But Seto, Yugi needs our help." Kaiba did not even look at him when he responded.

"He's not getting it from me." Yami clenched his teeth. He had heard enough. Forcefully, he passed Yugi to Tristan and ran up to Kaiba's desk, surprising the teenage CEO.

"Look, Kaiba, I'm getting a little annoyed with you being so arrogant all the time. You should be grateful you're even still alive." After recovering from his shock, Kaiba glared. Now that this guy was up close, Kaiba could see t he differences in one from the other. How had he not noticed it before?

"And why is that?" Yami smirked.

"Because Yugi is the reason you're alive." Kaiba raised a brow. Yami stood up, still smirking. "You have no idea how many times I wanted to reach out and kill you for putting Yugi down, Kaiba." Mokuba Kaiba showed pure terror on his face while Seto Kaiba remained emotionless. He and the ancient spirit in physical form eyed each other for a few seconds before Yami continued. "Yugi was the one that held me back from that. There are at least five times that I came so close to killing you, but Yugi always spared you. Had it not been for him, you'd be dead right now." Yami's voice was low and dark. "So, I think you're in a debt to my little light. Now, either you help us find Marik, or …" He chuckled. "well, Yugi can't stop me this time." Seto Kaiba did not so fear. However, inside he could feel that the room had just lowered at least five degrees. He looked at Yami's hand and was shocked, but did not show it, to see a black mass forming in a circular shape around it. "Well?" Yami asked in that dark tone. Kaiba just stared at him until Mokuba placed his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Seto, please … I think he means it …" The elder brother exhaled exaggeratedly. Inside, he was terrified, but he did not let it show on his face.

"Fine, but only because you're scaring my brother." He turned towards his computer and began typing. As he did, the black mass around Yami's hand disappeared.

"Hurry up."

--

_End of Chapter_


End file.
